The Sprout
Apple Day coming up!
The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley
Issue 170 September 2022
The Sprout
The Newsletter for North Hinksey & Botley
Directors: Janet Bartlam, Judi Bolder, John Clements,
Michael Cockman, Ag MacKeith, Robin Palmer
Editor
Ag MacKeith
South View, Old Botley, OX2 0JR Tel: 724452 Editor@TheSprout.org.uk
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The Sprout
Issue 170, September 2022
Contents
3 Letters to the Editor
5 Crevice Garden
7 Planning Apps
9 DC Update
11 Saving Energy
13 Mosaic Workshops
15 Calling Musicians
16 Crofts Court
19 BotleyEynsham Bike Path
21 Peppy Smeaton
23 Meet Chris Church
27 Unpopular Flood Scheme
29 Support for Solar Farm
31 Randoms
34 Big Green Week coming up
35 Local Organizations
From the Editor
Welcome to the September Sprout. What have we for you in this issue?
Two local heroes make an appearance, Peppy Smeaton (p21), much loved
and missed, and Chris Church (p23) still a highly active player on the
local scene. There’s an account of the unusual crevice garden, overall
winner of this year’s Botley in Bloom competition (p5), and of the mosaic
workshops (p13) which gave some local people a chance to be part of the
arts projects adding colour to the new shopping precinct. Sustainable
Botley have garnered funds to help householders cut down on energy
use (p11) and the Community Land Trust have broken ground on Crofts
Court (p16), a development of eight flats at an affordable rent for people
with a local connection on the Vale’s housing list. Congratulations, CLT,
for getting things moving at last. Shame we can’t say the same for the
Eynsham Bike Path, sorely needed, but still seemingly stuck in a
stalemate (p19) at the hands of the County Council. Apple day will be on
2nd October this year (details on page 33) and also on 2nd October, at the
end of the Big Green Week (p34), a march into town will demonstrate that
people are concerned about climate change and the threat to the
environment. The theme of this year’s BGW is Energy, and local events
are in the pipeline.
Ag MacKeith
Letters to the Editor
Women’s football
Given the great impact of the Lionesses’ spectacular success in Euro
2022, I believe that it is really important that The Sprout investigates the
current status of girl’s and women’s football in Botley’s schools and
clubs and outlines what needs to be done, and by whom, to enable
more girls and women to play the game.
Robin Palmer
(More going on than you might think, Robin! Article coming up in next
month’s Sprout. Ed)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prize giving to Botley in Bloom winners, seen here with their certificates.
John and Viccy Fleming’s Crevice Garden
In a front garden in Botley the size
of a small sitting room is an
amazing collection of more than
400 plants set between vertical
rocks. Some of the plants look
like tiny trees, some like moss,
some are whorled, others are little
spikes. This is John and Viccy
Fleming’s year-old crevice garden.
John and Viccy talked me through
how this gorgeous space was
created. Crevice gardens aim to
replicate the limestone strata
found in the high mountains of
Central Europe. They are made by vertically placing slabs of rock and
planting alpines (tiny mountain plants) between the slabs so that they
look natural.
John and Viccy have always loved to garden. Their previous garden
was almost an acre in size and they had opened it for charity under the
National Garden Scheme. So when they downsized by moving to
Botley, they knew that they would need to get used to gardening on a
smaller scale but more intensely. Their front garden was a patch of
grass when they moved in: this would definitely have to change.
First, they visited several other crevice gardens. They then tracked
down the man who had provided the rock for the Pershore crevice
garden at his quarry in the Forest of Dean. The rock is a beautiful pink-
sand colour, and split into slabs about 1-2 inches wide. But how much
to get? John had done a drystone walling course. “People who build
stone walls know about rock quantities,” says John “and a crevice
garden is basically half a dry stone wall laid on its side.” He ordered
five tonnes (FIVE TONNES!) of rock and six tonnes of sharp sand, and
held his breath, hoping that this was about right.
“We had made a scale model out of pasta and sand,” explains John, “so
that we would know where to lay the rock. We dug out the grass and
sculpted the soil underneath into higher and lower parts. We put a
20cm layer of the sharp sand on top of these hills and furrows, and then
set the rocks in the sand. The quantities were just about right.” They
aimed to set up some microclimates: the rocks are set eastwest,
leaving a north and a south side. “That way, we can locate plants
appropriately. For instance, plants that don’t like the sun go on the
north side.
They put a mixture of grit and John Innes No. 2 compost between the
rocks and started planting. “You can’t get the plants for a crevice
garden in a garden centre, says Viccy. “They’re usually not small
enough. There are about a dozen specialist alpine nurseries in the UK,
and we used those”. Some of their 464 (!!!) different kinds of plants also
came as seeds from the Alpine Garden Society and the Scottish Rock
Garden Club, and were grown in the couple’s greenhouse.
There are about 150
200 linear metres of
crevice in their garden,
with two or three plants
per metre. John and
Viccy have aimed to
make it look nice quickly,
but also to get plants
that flower at different
times and have a variety
of leaves and structure.
“It’s our first crevice
garden” says John, “so
we’ll need to see how it evolves. Downsizing our garden was hard, but
the attraction of a crevice garden is that you can pack so many plants
into a small space.” It really is a thing of beauty: a miniature world
where every plant seems to have its own character, carefully nurtured
by two very talented gardeners, and well worthy of its First Place in this
year’s Botley in Bloom Front Gardens competition.
Riki Therivel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOCAL PLANNING APPLICATIONS
P22/V1495/FUL
Land adjacent to 82 Westminster
Way. Creation of 4-bed house.
21 June 22
TDD: 16 Aug
P22/V1480/FUL
West Way Square Botley
2 large stone sculptures.
27 June
TDD: 22 Aug
P22/V1776/LDP
51 Yarnells Hill. Rear extension to
existing small brick outbuilding with
new entrance.
22 July
Target Dec
Date: 16 Sept
P22/V1869/HH
1 Lime Road. 2-storey side extension
& rear dormer loft.
29 July
TDD: 23 Sept
End of Summer Update
from your District Councillors
North Hinksey Parish council possible name change
The Community Governance Committee will decide about changing the
parish council name from ‘North Hinksey Parish Council’ to ‘Botley and
North Hinksey Community Council’. They meet on 12 Sep 2022 at 7pm
in the council offices at 135 Eastern Ave in Milton Park. You can attend
remotely via Teams. If you do attend in person, you’ll need to bring your
own laptop and headphones to address the committee and fully
experience the debates. To address the committee, you must make
application in writing to democratic.services@southandvale.gov.uk by
5.00 pm on Friday 9 Sep.
Oxfordshire Plan 2050
Announcement by all Oxfordshire councils (Aug 22): “The five Local
Planning authorities in Oxfordshire have been working together on a
joint plan for Oxfordshire to 2050. [We] regret that we were unable to
reach agreement on the approach to planning for future housing needs
within the framework of the Oxfordshire Plan. Local Plans for the City
and Districts will now provide the framework for the long term planning
of Oxfordshire. The Oxfordshire Plan 2050 work programme will end
and we will now transition to a process focused on Local Plans. The
issue of housing need will now be addressed through individual Local
Plans for each of the City and Districts. The Councils will cooperate
with each other and with other key bodies as they prepare their Local
Plans.”
This means that it will be for each local planning authority to determine
our own housing needs. We are still committed to everything contained
in our current Local Plan; the strategic sites will still be brought forward
before the end of the Local Plan period (2031). For the emerging new
Local Plan 2041, we can benefit from including some of the good
policies created for OxPlan50, particularly around the environment,
renewable energy and sustainable housing and transport. Debby is
Vale’s elected member responsible for Local Plans.
Climate Action Funding
We are happy to announce that Vale’s Climate grants support several
local projects:
Sustainable Botley £4,900 for Energy-Saving Homes in Bot-
ley to train local people to offer home energy advice and to carry
out DIY measures such as loft insulation.
Cumnor Conservation Group £3,444 for a habitat survey of
part of the Hurst Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest which will
help to deliver a management plan and improve public education
of the site.
Hinksey Trail Regeneration CIC £2,821 to improve the trail
boardwalk with sustainable materials next to a small lake that is
a popular place for visitors to stop and watch wildlife.
West Way and Mace
Debby and Emily met with Mace over the summer to discuss ongoing
construction and recent issues on the site. We’re pleased to say Mace
will be reviving the West Way Community Liaison Group, a regular
meeting between site management and local leaders to resolve issues
affecting the development and us all. Our next local surgery will be at
the Missing Bean café from 10.30 to 12pm, on Saturday 8th October.
Debby Hallett and Emily Smith
Saving Energy in our Homes
As energy bills rise past affordable levels, many people will have to live
in colder homes, as well as cutting back on other spending. If your
household includes people with vulnerabilities (for instance due to age,
health or low income) there is some financial support available for
energy-saving home improvements. But all of us need to find ways to
stay warm and healthy while reducing the amount of energy we use.
Sustainable Botley has been awarded two grants (from Vale and North
Hinksey Parish Council) to support local households with advice on
saving energy and getting financial help. There will be two main strands
to our work: 1) training up home energy advisers who will visit homes
and help identify low-cost ways of saving energy and accessing funding;
and 2) carrying out whole-house assessments to advise on the
measures such as insulation, double and triple glazing, and heat pumps
which could help future-proof your home.
We are looking for about six Botley residents who are interested in
training as volunteer energy advisers. This will involve taking a short
course provided by National Energy Action. We aim to carry out 50
home visits this autumn and winter and we think that would mean
being willing to give around two half-days a month to the project.
We are also looking for six houses representing some of the
common types around Botley for which we will carry out free
whole-house assessments. We will publish the results
(anonymised) to show how each can save energy and money now
and in the longer term. We will be holding public meetings to share
what we’re finding, so please stay tuned!
If you’d like to get involved, either as an adviser or by having a retrofit
assessment for your house, please get in touch with Laurie Michaelis
laurie@livingwitness.org.uk or any other member of Sustainable Botley.
It’s an open group, set up to do what we can locally about the climate
emergency. You might even like to join us yourself!
Laurie Michaelis
Mosaic Workshops
Lots of local people joined in with the five mosaic workshops that took
place in the Seacourt Hall on Thursday
mornings in June and July.
These were free public sessions to
form part of the mosaic panels
commissioned as public art in West
Way Square. Participants were able to
learn cutting and layout techniques to
make mosaics to the designs set out in
the plans. The artist, Clare Goodall,
was on hand to show us what was
needed and to give us help and ideas
where and when necessary. It was
great fun meeting old friends, as well
as making new ones, and exciting to
all be part of such a creative
community project.
The finished mosaics are going
to be displayed on the outside
walls of the hall. It will be
wonderful to see them up
there. No doubt we will all
proudly point out the parts of
the designs that each of us
helped with, to our families and
friends and anyone else in the
vicinity.
Alison Provan
Clare Goodall
with a finished panel
Calling Musicians!
Kennington Memory Club operates on two days a week in Kennington
Methodist Church to provide day care for people with dementia, and
respite for their carers. There’s more about us on our web site:
kenningtonmemoryclub.org.uk One of the main pleasures for our
members is music. The brain seems better able to recall songs and
music that were enjoyed in earlier years than many other aspects of life.
There is a particular joy in listening to and joining in with live music.
This is why we would love it if there were any musicians, who could
volunteer to visit Kennington Memory Club occasionally or regularly, on
Mondays or Thursdays, sometime between 11am and 3pm, to add
those special moments to the day. You might be a pianist, guitar player,
instrumentalist or singer. All can contribute their own brand of musical
magic! This would give the members a valued opportunity just to listen
to the live music or join in with singing and foot-tapping.
If this sounds like you, please get in touch with our organiser, Helen, on
07852 883496 or email memoryclub1@outlook.com
Isobel Birse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oxfordshire Community Land Trust
Breaks New Ground!
Work started on 7th
June on the next stage
of Oxfordshire Commu-
nity Land Trust
(OCLT)’s exciting jour-
ney towards providing
permanently affordable
homes for rent in the
county. Crofts Court is
being built on Eynsham
Road in Dean Court,
Botley,! in the adminis-
trative areas of Cumnor Parish Council and the Vale of White Horse
District Council. The photo shows the delighted Directors at the opening
event.
Planning permission was granted in April 2020 for five one-bedroom
apartments and three two-bedroom apartments. The homes will be pro-
vided at affordable rents, and be let to eligible households on the Dis-
trict Council’s housing register, who can demonstrate a local connec-
tion. They will not be available to purchase, and OCLT’s intention is that
the properties remain available for affordable rent in perpetuity.
The flats themselves are designed to achieve high levels of energy effi-
ciency including PV solar for each apartment, promoting sustainability
and minimising energy bills for residents. The development will be man-
aged as a mutual housing co-operative, for which prospective tenants
will receive training. Trust Secretary, Fran Ryan, emphasized the im-
portance of the co-operative element, “I think it really makes a signifi-
cant difference to the quality of daily lives to know our neighbours, and
what better way to create a successful small community than by helping
run the building where you live. The training that tenants will receive
and the experience of running the property together, are also valuable
and marketable skills.”
Want to live in Crofts Court?
The new apartments are due to be ready for the first residents in June
2023. There will be three two-bed (3 person) flats, three one-bed (2
person) flats and two one-bed (1 person) flats.
The flats will be rented at about 70% of local rent and if you’re
interested and you can meet the following requirements, then keep an
eye on the Vale of White Horse website (search for Homechoice) to
see when the project is advertised. Meanwhile please get in touch and
let us know of your interest. To qualify to rent one of our flats, you must
follow these steps:
1. You must be registered on Vale of White Horse Housing Register.
2. A local connection is required. You will need to be able to show that:
o You have lived in Cumnor Parish for not less than five years
within the last eight years, and that you are currently a resident
of Cumnor Parish; or
o You have previously lived in Cumnor Parish for at least five
years and your parents or children still live there and have done
so for at least ten years; or
o You have worked full time for two years in Cumnor Parish or the
equivalent part-time, with evidence of a continuing commitment
to work in Cumnor Parish;
If not enough eligible Cumnor people come forward, the test will be
applied to the parishes of Appleton with Eaton, Besselsleigh, North
Hinksey, South Hinksey, Sunningwell, Wootton, and Wytham, and if
there are still insufficient people, anyone on the Vale’s housing
waiting list first in Cumnor Parish, then the above parishes, and
finally anyone within the Vale’s District will be considered.
3. The apartments will be managed as a housing co-operative. Training
meetings about this aspect of the project will start in early 2023, and
consideration will only be given to people who have attended these
meetings and shown they are willing to work with fellow tenants on
the project.
No one can be considered for a tenancy unless they meet all of the
above criteria.
Want to know more? Join us at OCLT’s 2022 AGM
Monday 19th September 2022
7pm to 8.00pm,
Orange Room at the Dean Court Community Centre,
Pinnocks Way, Oxford, OX2 9DG
All welcome. Please let us know you are coming: fran.ryan@oclt.org.uk
Want to help grow this housing sector?
Work with us in a variety of ways to help create a better community-
owned housing system to beat the housing crisis. It won’t be quick but
long term it will work. Join us for £1. https://www.oclt.org.uk/join/
Become a supporter member for £5 (or more) per month. https://www.
oclt.org.uk/support-us/ Invest in the upcoming Share Offer for Crofts
Court. (Watch out for this Oct 2022.)
Fran Ryan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Botley to Eynsham Bike Path
Five years ago, a posse of supporters cycled from Eynsham to Botley
along the notorious Eynsham Road through Farmoor, full of hope that
their long awaited bike path was on the verge of being built at last. Who
would have thought that after five more long years of campaigning, they
would be doing the same ride again, with the end no nearer in sight. It
was all looking so hopeful the County Council had come on board and
were helping with the planning application. Following the lessons of the
first lockdown, money was being made available to make cycling less
hazardous, the climate emergency had underlined the need to get
people out of their cars.
But the best has been the enemy of the good! The Council are anxious
to make sure the path ties
in neatly with proposed
changes at either end. So
instead of just building it,
and dealing with the ends
when the time is ripe, they
have held up the whole
process yet again. There
have been accidents, near
accidents, and the death of
a local father, in the past
few years, and problems
won’t go away until the
path is built. The picture
shows the 50-odd cyclists
outside the Missing Bean at the end of their ride on 30th July. AgM
Penelope (Peppy) Smeaton
“A wonderful blend of grit and graceThis
is how one of Peppy’s friends described
Peppy’s character.
Many people will remember Peppy Smeaton.
Her name brings a warm smile of recognition
with appreciative comments about the advice
and support she gave as a Health Visitor.
She was well qualified for this role: her first
job was as a Norland Nanny, and when she
trained as a nurse at the Radcliffe Infirmary,
she was named Best Surgical Nurse in her
year group. She did extra midwifery training, too, which was to prove
invaluable when she went to Nepal as a missionary nurse.
In 1965 she was posted to the Shining Hospital in Pokhara, so named
because it consisted of aluminium huts. It was comparatively advanced
with an operating theatre, but the mud hut where Peppy lived was very
primitive. “She made it beautiful with curtains and covers for the tea-
chest furniture, and welcomed everybody,” remembers one of her
colleagues. She also worked in the primitive rural clinic of Baglung
two daystrek from Pokhara. At that time there were no roads or motor
vehicles in this part of Nepal. Peppy was tone deaf, and her language
skills were imperfect, but she was known for her warmth, kindness and
decisiveness.
She returned to the UK in the 1970s, trained to become a Health Visitor
and went to live in Hurst Lane. As she had in Nepal, Peppy appreciated
her home and delighted in sharing it with others. Hundreds of people,
both young and old, including many international students, found a
warm welcome and new friendships there, over beautifully prepared
meals. Friendships were very important to her, she had become an
orphan at the age of 12, and was brought up by kind guardians, but it
was her relationship with Jesus that was most precious of all. From this
flowed her love for others, and a longing that they should know Him too.
Life changed overnight for Peppy in June 2019, when she suffered a
stroke. She died earlier this year, and was buried in St Michael’s
churchyard, Cumnor, in July 2022, followed by a thanksgiving service at
St Ebbe’s Church in Oxford. We will miss her enormously, but we thank
God for the joy of having known her.
Jennie Gatenby (from tributes at the thanksgiving service)
Meet Chris Church
Chris Church has only been living
in Botley for ten years, but he has
earned the title of Green Man of
Botley. He was the first chair of
the Parish Council’s Environment
and Wellbeing Committee, he
helped to start up Sustainable
Botley, co-ran the energy event in
March, helped plan the bring and
take event for July, and is
involved in the Hinksey Hill nature
trail. Phew!
I asked Chris where his interest in
the environment came from.
Chris studied environmental
biology at the (then) Oxford
Polytechnic in the mid-1970s. At the time, Oxford Poly was known for
its music scene, and Chris organised several gigs during his time there.
That continued after his studies, when he briefly ran a music business,
promoting and managing bands
and then he got involved with Oxford Friends of the Earth. The
threat of the M40 running through Otmoor inspired him to be one of the
key people who bought a field on Otmoor and re-sold three thousand
small bits of it to people all over the country to make compulsory
purchase of the land really difficult. That was one reason why the M40
now curves around Otmoor.
In 1984, Chris moved to London to work for Friends of the Earth,
supporting local groups across the country and helping them tackle their
own issues. When Chris started at FoE there were only twelve
members of staff. When he left six years later, there were 100. “It was
the first period of real environmental activism, says Chris, “when
Jonathan Porritt was at the helm and people were really getting
involved.”
In 1990, Chris set up his own business, Community Environment
Associates, working with community groups on issues of poverty,
environment and housing. He authored an influential report about local
action on environment and equity, coordinated people in making
pledges to act environmentally, supported local environmental groups in
eastern Europe, and chaired the London (Agenda) 21 Network. Chris
was living in Hackney at the time, but he felt that London would not be a
good place in which to grow old. He decided to come back to his home
town. He chose Elms Rise because house prices were more
manageable there than elsewhere in Oxford, even though his friends
claimed that “nothing happens in west Oxford”.
Hahaha! Shortly after Chris arrived here, the first development proposal
for West Way came forward. Convinced its enormous scale would have
been a disaster for the community, Chris campaigned to rein it in. Many
red balloons and planning meetings later, we have a more appropriate
West Way development.
Chris works from home, and in 2019 several of his bigger projects were
coming to an end. Then Covid hit, and he thought he might be retiring.
However, this is not to be: his next project looks likely to be an oral
history of Britain’s environmental movement, for the British Library.
Chris says that, in just the decade that he has lived in Botley, the area
has changed. It seems to be becoming younger and more diverse, and
more of a neighbourhood. The protests around the West Way
development certainly helped it to become more cohesive, thanks in
part to our very own Green Man. Riki Therivel
Continued Resistance to Flood Scheme
Feelings at either end of the Botley Road are still running high over the
proposed Flood Alleviation Scheme. Residents and landowners around
the affected fields have set up the HinkseyOsney Environment Group
to oppose it. Here is their analysis of the response to the consultation:
Two hundred and thirty-two comments on the Oxford Flood Alleviation
Scheme application have been received by the planning authority. Two
hundred and twelve (91%) rejected the proposals in their current form,
especially its flood channel component.
Two thirds of respondents objected to the proposed damage to
Hinksey Meadow MG4a grassland and the loss of biodiversity.
More than half objected to the loss of access and amenity, wanted
alternatives to be properly evaluated and viewed the current
scheme as a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Over one third objected to the traffic congestion the scheme would
cause, the felling of mature trees, the scheme’s carbon footprint
and its impact on climate change.
Just under one third objected on the grounds of the scheme’s inad-
equate flood protection and hydrology.
Around one quarter objected to contravention of the National Plan-
ning Policy Framework or local planning guidelines, the unaccepta-
ble pollution of the works, the lack of a budget for long term mainte-
nance and the damage to Willow Walk.
Other common reasons for objection were inadequate public consulta-
tion (20%), the removal of spoil and gravel (17%), development on
Green Belt (16%) and the disproportionate costs borne by many to ben-
efit a few (14%). 11% of respondents regarded the decision as requiring
consideration by a higher authority or public enquiry; 8% of comments
came from residents at significant flood risk, while 5% came from com-
munity groups or other organizations.
In consideration of the multiple flaws in the channel component of the
scheme, it is time to ask why Oxford City Council continues to support
such an unpopular project? An annotated copy of all the responses to
the OFAS planning application is available on the Hinksey and Osney
Environmental Group website www.hinkseyandosney.org and the origi-
nal is available on the OCC planning website. For more information
email HOEG at info@hinkseyandosney.org
Chris Sugden Convenor, Hinksey and Osney Environment Group
Support for Solar Farm
The May 2022 addition of The Sprout included a useful contribution by
John Magrath that raised concerns about a proposed local Solar Farm.
The site would be the south side of the hill on which the Jubilee beacon
stands, around half a kilometre due south of Matthew Arnold School. As
a local resident (Laburnum Road) I can confirm that members of the
local community would like an opportunity to be consulted on the plans.
However, we could start by looking at some of the more positive as-
pects.
To provide a bit of balance to views expressed so far, it is possible to
find a lot of good things to say about this opportunity. It has been scien-
tifically established beyond doubt that climate change is happening and,
if unchecked, will ultimately threaten much of human civilisation and
likely lead to conflicts as ecosystems collapse and populations compete
for dwindling resources. At the present time, the public lacks opportuni-
ties to act and help prevent the worst of climate change. However, by
supporting a solar farm in principle, instead of simply saying No, local
people will have made a real difference through reducing local drivers of
climate change. Powering around 7000 homes with renewable energy,
the solar farm would be something to be proud of, and to tell the grand-
children about: Botley and Cumnor stepped up to the plate at a time of
need.
For the last eighteen months or so, the site has been grassed over but
before that it was ploughed and used for crops. Such usage helps to
feed people, which is important, but it doesn’t help the local ecology, is
a source of Co2 emissions through soil exposure, and can produce
agricultural runoff into local water courses. Have you ever seen the
algae blooms at Farmoor Reservoir, which kill the fish?
A local consultation might bring a nicely balanced approach to the use
of the site as a solar farm. The rows of solar panels would be spaced to
allow for maintenance and cleaning, and these are typically green
spaces. Much of the area could be seeded with meadow flowers to im-
prove the local ecology for pollinators, insects, and small mammals,
while improving the appearance of the site.
Decommissioning would be easy. There would be no slag mountain,
nuclear waste, or ground pollution and the whole site could most likely
be returned to agriculture, or nature, within weeks.
Finally, as mentioned in the May Sprout, the company, Solar2, propos-
es a community benefit fund (see https://cumnorsolarfarm.co.uk/the-
proposal). A consultation would provide clarity about the scale and
scope of such a fund, which could be of benefit to the local area. All in
all, the solar farm looks to be a significant opportunity and worthy of an
open-minded approach by local people.
Jonathan Mason (Dr)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Randoms
Public Notice from the County Council
“In the interests of public safety it will be necessary for Oxfordshire
County Council to close a short section of Bridleway 14 to facilitate
demolition and reconstruction of Willow Walk 2 footbridge. A Temporary
Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) is being made to implement the tempo-
rary closure and will operate from 29 September up to and including 29
November 2022. This is a 24-hour bridleway closure.”
Although the Order refers to a ‘short section’ to repair ‘Bridge 2’ (pre-
sumably the one half-way along) the map suggests the whole length will
be closed. So if Willow Walk is the way you get to school or work, you’ll
need to find an alternative for the whole of October and November.
Open Rehearsal
Kennington & District United Church Choirs invite you to an Open Re-
hearsal on Friday 9th September at 7:30 p.m. in the Methodist Church,
Upper Road, Kennington, Oxford OX1 5LR. The rehearsal will be led by
our Director, Claire Sutton-Williams. We shall rehearse the Fauré Req-
uiem, so bring along a copy if you have one, though copies will be
available (Novello edition). If you haven’t sung for a long time or if you
sing with another choir and would like to join us as well, then this is for
you! We are keen to have new members, especially basses and tenors,
but all are welcome. Come and meet our current members and find out
about the music we sing. We hope to do a concert ‘Come and Sing’ of
the Fauré Requiem on Sunday 23rd October and a Christmas Special in
December when the choir will celebrate 50 years since it was founded.
We look forward to seeing you!
Botley WI
We held our annual charity afternoon tea on Tuesday 2nd August, in aid
of the Children’s Air Ambulance, with all seats taken. Our next meeting
will be on Tuesday 6th September at 7:30 pm, when speaker John
Paine will give us a quiz about Oxford. We always meet on the first
Tuesday in the month and we have lots of interest groups as well which
take place in between our scheduled meetings: Walking, Reading,
Music, “Green-ish fingers” and craft meetings. Visitors are always wel-
come! At the moment we have some vacant spaces in our car park. If
your business needs additional car parking, contact us on 07598
251161 or via botleywi@oxfordshirewi.org.uk for details.
Apple Day 2022
Apple Day is coming up. This has been provisionally fixed for Sunday
2nd October. The long bout of warm weather has meant that pears and
apples are ripening early, so we have chosen an earlier date. It will be
held at South View, behind McDonalds, as previously, and will run from
around 3pm. Bring apples, knives, containers for juice and cakes made
from apple recipes (optional!). We’ll supply the apple identification, the
apple press and plentiful cups of tea.
Good News from Tap
On Saturday 20 August, Tap So-
cial Movement, our very local
drinks producers (tapsocial
movement.com) hand in hand with
Missing Bean (themissing
bean.co.uk) officially opened Proof
Social Bakehouse, a collabora-
tion social enterprise wholesale
bakery and cafe. The two organi-
zations have partnered to build a
bespoke, open-plan bakery on
Tap’s former brewery site, at
Sandford Industrial Estate in Ken-
nington (OX1 5RP). As with all of
Tap's work, Proof offers paid train-
ing and employment to people
who have been in prison. Find out
more on proofbakehouse.com
Sprout AGM
Undaunted by the sizzling weather, a range of interested parties met at
the pavilion on 14th August to ratify the Sprout’s Annual Report and Ac-
counts for another successful year. This September issue will see the
start of the 17th year of unbroken publication. Congratulations to all our
many volunteers. Long may we continue to thrive!
GREAT BIG GREEN WEEK 24th September to 2nd October
This is the UK’s biggest ever celebration of community action to tackle
climate change and protect nature. The theme this year is ENERGY.
Low Carbon West Oxford have created an environmental business
score card for retailers along the Botley Road, and plan to launch their
report on 24th Sept on the opening day of the Big Green Week.
On the last day of the week, on 2nd October, there’s the March into
Oxford. Botley had a
visible presence last
year, as some will
remember, see photo,
and we can do it
again. There will be a
meeting in Frideswide
Square between 12
and 1pm, and those
so inclined may
decide to move on to
the Calamity Cabaret
at the Old Fire Station
at 2pm, where we can
encourage each other
with accounts of successful efforts to tackle climate change and protect
nature, as well as some singing and dancing.
Sustainable Botley is drawing up plans for events during the week,
which could include drop-in sessions around saving energy, and film
shows and who knows what else! Meetings will be advertised on the
Botley Notice Board, and all are welcome to come along and bring your
creative ideas.
AgM
Organizations: If your organization is not listed here, please send details
to editor@thesprout.org.uk or telephone 724452 for inclusion.
Dean Court Community Centre Thur 67.30 Jean
Metson, firstbotleybrownies@gmail.com
Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill. Tues 6:15-7:45 Alison
Griffin 2ndbotleybrownies@outlook.com
mail@thefourth.org.uk Website:
http://www.thefourth.org.uk/
Fridays, Cubs 6.30-8, Scouts 8-9.30, Pavilion, Fogwell Rd.
Amy Cusden (Cubs) 07887 654386, Tom Freeman (Scouts)
07837 623768 xvoxfordscouts@yahoo.co.uk
Tues/Thurs 9.1511, SS Peter & Paul Church Hall
Wants to connect Botley to Eynsham. Meets every 6-8
weeks. Contact via website B4044path.org
Free Library Service for housebound Ox. 248142
Brendan Byrne 792531
brendan.byrne999@gmail.com
Thursdays, 3.30 to 5.30 at St P&P Church Hall, West
Way, Facebook or email botleylarder@gmail.com
Second Tuesday in the Month, early evening.
Contact csugden@ocrpl.org
07922 849680. Open till 7 on Friday and 1pm on Sat,
otherwise 9.30 to 5.30 (closed Wednesdays).
Alternate Thursdays. Seacourt Hall. Jackie Warner
Ox.721386
Friday 7.45 to 9.45 pm John May 07795 054142 or
www.cumnorchoralsociety.wordpress.com
Thurs 79pm Cumnor Old School. Steven Bennett
01993 684494 www.cumnorchessclub.co.uk
Last Monday of the month 7.30-9.00 Cumnor Old
School. 01865 724808
http://cumnorgardens.org.uk/
or phone 01865 721026
Wed 7.30 at Appleton Village Hall. C. Casson 01235
831352 or harmonyinspires@hotmail.co.uk
Contact: David Millin on david.millin@hill-end.org,
call 863510 or visit www.hillend-oec.co.uk
Family club Email: Tennis@OxfordSportsLTC.org
Weds 2-3pm, WOCC, Emily 07969 522368 or see
www.emilyschoirs.co.uk
Barbara Brett 249599 or bag@cryhavoc.org.uk
North Hinksey Preschool
and Childcare clubs
MonFri 7.45am6.00 pm. Tel 794287 or email
nhps.manager1@gmail.com
N Hinksey Art Group
Weds 1012.00 W.I. Hall Christina 07931 707997
N Hinksey Bellringers
Contact: Ray Rook 01865 241451
N Hinksey Conservation
Volun teer s
Meets at weekends Contact Voirrey Carr
07798743121 voirreyc@aol.com
N Hinksey, Friends of
Annual Cricket Match/ Walk. Douglas Bond 791213.
N Hinksey Parish Council
clerk@northhinksey-pc.gov.uk
N Hinksey Youth Club
Weds at LM pavilion, Daz: 07791 212866 or F’book
Oxford Flood Alliance
R Thurston 01865 723663 or 07973 292035
Oxford Flower Arranging
Club
4th Thursday Cumnor. Dympna Walker: Ox 865259
Oxford Harmony
Wednesdays 7.30 9.30 pm at Seacourt Hall
Contact pro@oxfordharmony.co.uk
Oxford Otters
Swimming for people with disabilities. Sundays,
twice monthly. Contact: Alan Cusden 723420
Oxford Rugby Club
Boys and girls from 5, kevin.honner@ntlworld.com
Seniors, training etc jbrodley@chandlings.org.uk.
Raleigh Park, Friends of
raleighpark@raleighpark.org.uk
Seacourt Hall Management
Committee
Contact Lottie White, 07452 960100, or see
https://www.seacourthall.org.uk
Shotokan Karate Club
6+ WOCC twice weekly
Martyn King 07836 646450
Stagecoach Botley
Seacourt Hall, Saturdays 9:00am3pm Performing
Arts for 4-16 yr-olds Oxf 590510 or 01235 390810
Well-Being Walks, Botley
2nd & 4th Saturdays 9.50 Louie Memorial Field car
park, Arnolds Way. Ashley 07717 714477
West Oxford Bowls Club
Dave Ellerker 07931 603801
wobc.membership@gmail.com
West Oxford Taekwon Do
Club
Mon, Thurs 6.30-8pm, MA gym, contact Chris Hall
01865 570291 www.wotkd.co.uk
West Oxford U3A
(Uni of the 3rd Age) http://westoxfordu3a.org.uk/
West Way Day Centre
Mon & Fri 103pm, Field House, 07740 611971.
oxfordshirehub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk
Womens Institute (Botley)
Alison Jenner 07598 251161
alisonjenner@yahoo.com
Weight Watchers
Thursdays 6pm at SS Peter & Paul Church Hall
Banso tel: 07779 253899 bansob@aol.com
Botley Baptist Church,
I Church Way
Contact: Building Manager 07742
662668 botleybaptist@gmail.com
The Rosary Room
Yarnells Hill, Elms Rise
Contact: Maria Brown,
Te l : 0 1 8 6 5 2 4 7 9 8 6 .
SS Peter & Paul Church
Hall, West Way, Botley
Contact: 01865 242057 or
osneybenefice@outlook.com.
Women's Institute Hall,
North Hinksey Lane
Contact: Val Warner
Te l . 0 1 8 6 5 2 4 5 2 7 3
Seacourt Hall,
3 Church Way
Contact: Lottie White on 07452 960100,
or email admin@seacourthall.org.uk
Pavilion, Arnold’s Way,
Elms Rise, Botley
Contact: Darren Blase 241254
louiememorialpavilion@gmail.com
Oxford Rugby Club,
North Hinksey Village
Contact:. Mary Bagnall
mary.bagnall1@btinternet.com.
North Hinksey & Botley Churches
Times of Services (once resumed) and Contacts
St. Lawrence, Church of England, North Hinksey Lane
1st, 2nd, 4
th
, 5
th
Sunday 11.30am Holy Communion
3 rd Sunday 11.30am Matins
St. Peter and St. Paul, Church of England, West Way
Sundays 9.30am Holy Communion!
Wednesdays 10.30am Holy Communion in Chapel of Holy Spirit
1st Saturday each month, 45.30pm Messy Church for children and carers!
Rev Clare Sykes, Tel. 01865 242345 or revclare@btinternet.com
See table above for Church Hall enquiries.
Our Lady of the Rosary, Roman Catholic, Yarnells Hil l
Saturday 6.30pm Mass
Sunday 9.15am Mass
Fr Daniel Lloyd 07584 323915 dlloyd@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk.
Botley Baptist Church, 1 Church Way
Sunday Service 11 a m .
Wednesday Zoom Bible Study 7.30pm
Choir practice Thursday 2pm
Diane Melchert 07742 662668 www.botleybaptistchurch.org
Calvary Chapel
Sunday services held at Botley School 10.3012 noon
Pastor Philip Vickery 01865 864498
calvarychapeloxford@yahoo.co.uk;
www.calvarychapeloxford.org.uk
What’s On
September
Thur 8th 12.30pm, Seacourt Hall, Seniors Lunch Club re-
sumes, and fortnightly thereafter
Thur 8th 7.30pm, Seacourt Hall, North Hinksey Parish Council
Fri 9th 7.30pm, Methodist Church, Upper Road, Kennington,
open rehearsal for Fauré’s Requiem
Mon 12th 2.30pm, Dean Court Community Centre, U3A talk:
David Bailey, ‘The Stories Behind the Images’
Mon 19th 7–8pm, Dean Court Community Centre, Oxon
Community Land Trust AGM
Sat 24th to Sun 2nd October Great Big Green Week
Mon 26th 2.30pm, Dean Court Community Centre, U3A talk:
Lauren Bamford ‘Tax, Care & Toy Boys’
October
Sun 2nd 12, place tbc, Climate March into town
Sun 2nd 3–5pm, South View, Old Botley, Apple Day
Wed 5th 103pm, Oxford Town Hall, ‘Older People’s Day